If the Knicks choose to shake things up and trade into the first round of Thursday’s NBA draft, here are three names to watch for.
Earlier this week, I wrote about potential trades the New York Knicks should consider if they want a first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. When watching the Miami Heat beat the Knicks in six games, I couldn’t help but take note of players like Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, and Gabe Vincent. All three of those players always seemed to hit timely threes throughout the series. And even if they missed shots, the mere threat of their shooting helped the Heat’s spacing and opened up driving lanes for Jimmy Butler.
Although the Knicks don’t necessarily lack shooting, both Quentin Grimes and Immanuel Quickley struggled to find their shots. As a result, the Knicks became very predictable and easy to guard, with the lone exception of Jalen Brunson. Adding shooting depth is an essential objective for any NBA team, and if Brunson and Julius Randle are going to continue to be the focal points of the offense, they need to be surrounded by shooting.
With that in mind, I focused on players in the first round who can crack Tom Thibodeau’s rotation by shooting the three ball at a high clip.
Jett Howard, 19yrs, G, Michigan
Son of Michigan’s head basketball coach and NBA vet Juwan Howard, Jett made an impact during his freshman year in Ann Arbor. Standing at 6’8″, and weighing in at 215 pounds, Howard has excellent size for an NBA wing. This past season, the freshman averaged 14.2 points per game, shot 40.9 percent from the field, and 38.8 percent from the three-point line. And although the Wolverines didn’t get the team results they wanted on the court, Howard was awarded All-Big 10 and Big 10 All-Freshman honors.
Howard is a deadly shooter. According to the Athletic’s Sam Vecenie, Howard shot 40 percent from three in high school, so you know the sample size of good shooting is there. During his first year at Michigan, he shot 38.6 percent on catch-and-shoot three-point attempts and 37.3 percent coming off screens.
Howard’s shooting mechanics are crisp and very repeatable. He does take a slight dip with the ball in his hands after the catch, but everything from his positioning with his feet to his follow-through is textbook. Usually, shooters with Howard’s efficiency are not great at creating off the dribble or creating their own shot. But Howard is very adept at creating space, hitting side-step threes, and even operating in the mid ranges (52.9% on mid-range pull-ups).
As a playmaker, although his assist numbers won’t jump off the page, Howard developed good chemistry with Hunter Dickinson in the pick-and-roll, setting up his big for lobs or open cuts to the basket.
Conversely, Howard’s defense looks like the old security guard giving loose pat-downs meme. The Florida native seems too preoccupied with fouling, especially on post-ups. He’ll keep his hands up but offers little to no resistance on the body, and smaller and bigger guards tend to easily get to their spots. Howard’s overall athleticism — vertical pop and lateral quickness — is average at best, and he doesn’t possess a handle to create strong separation off the dribble. Howard also needs to improve his frequency in drives to the rim — this past season, only 14.5 percent of his field goals came at the rim.
Colby Jones, 21yrs, G, Xavier
A four-star recruit out of high school in Alabama, Colby Jones was ranked as the 131st recruit of the class of 2020. A two-year starter at Xaiver, Jones, during his Junior year, made strides in his game and projects as a solid two-way player in the NBA. At 6’5″, 195 pounds, Jones plays bigger than his weight would suggest and uses his body well on offense and defense. This past season, Jones averaged 15 points, shot 50.9 percent from the field, 37.8 percent from the three, and 1.3 steals per game.
The first thing that jumps out about Jones’ game is his finishing at the hoop. Jones took 40.8 percent of his total shots at the rim and converted 60.8 percent of them. Watching his tape, it’s clear that Jones finishes through contact, moves well without the ball, and can hit the floater consistently when he gets in the paint. A bit of a swiss-army knife, Jones can do multiple things on the court besides getting to the rim. This past season, Jones totaled more assists (158) and rebounds (206) than Indiana’s Jalen Hood-Schifino, Kentucky’s Cason Wallace, and Arkansas’ Anthony Black. Based on most mock drafts, all three of the aforementioned players are expected to be drafted ahead of Jones.
Jones is also a strong defender, who slides his feet well to keep opposing players in front of him — as Walt “Clyde” Frazier says, “gets over the screens with gusto.” You’ll never need to coach effort with Jones because he’s always ready to give his all for the squad.
Jones emerged as a reliable shooter too by hitting 42.5 percent on catch-and-shoot threes. In general, he made a significant improvement in his overall three-point shooting — he knocked down 33.3 percent of his threes during his freshman year, 29.2 percent during his sophomore season, and this year he canned 37.8 percent of his threes.
That being said, Jones is probably not a player who will blow past defenders off the dribble. He’s not a strong pull-up shooter, and ball security is an issue — Jones had more turnovers this past season (84) than University of Connecticut’s Jordan Hawkins, Cason Wallace, and Michigan’s Kobe Bufkin.
Jordan Hawkins, 21 yrs, G, UCONN
The best shooter in this draft, period. People will talk about Kansas’ Gradey Dick and Michigan’s Howard, but I believe Jordan Hawkins separates himself from the pack. At 6’5″, 195 pounds, Hawkins has decent size for an NBA guard but will have to add weight and muscle to his frame. Despite that, Hawkins is a plus athlete who can explode to the rim off one or two feet and has an excellent first step off the dribble. Hawkins and the Huskies had a fantastic season, culminating in a National Championship, where he averaged 16.2 points, shot 40.9 percent from the field, and 38.8 percent from the three per game — Hawkins’ three-point percentage is especially impressive, considering he shot 7.6 attempts per game.
Comparing Hawkins to some of the solid movement shooters of years past (in a two-year sample size) Hawkins drilled 136 out of 362 three-point attempts, good for 37.6 percent overall. Former Maryland Terrapin standout Kevin Huerter converted 138/350 threes (39.4 percent) between 2016-2018, current Miami Heat sharpshooter Duncan Robinson made 142/354 threes (40.1 percent), and four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson converted 174/455 (38.2%) between 2009 and 2011. Considering that Hawkins played fewer minutes than all three players within that two-year timespan, it’s easy to see why scouts are high on Hawkins’ NBA future.
The Hawkins highlights from the win over Arkansas in the sweet-16 were a thing of beauty. It’s hard to watch the film and not feel reminiscent of Steph Curry’s Dayton run in 2008. Giving Hawkins any sliver of space on the perimeter is a recipe for disaster. According to The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie, Hawkins made 47.1 percent of spot-up three-point shots — with NBA spacing, it’s hard to see this percentage decreasing significantly.
On the other side of the coin, as is usually the case for most young scoring guards, Hawkins’ defense will need to improve so that he’s not hunted in every pick-and-roll. In one-on-one situations, Hawkins’ legs and feet are often not set in a defensive stance to keep opposing guards in front of him. Furthermore, Hawkins accumulated 82 personal fouls this past season, which eclipsed other players in his draft class, like, Baylor’s Keyonte George (70), Indiana’s Hood-Schifino (78), and Michigan’s Howard (64). On a positive note, Hawkins does not lack effort — he’s an active defender who just needs to learn more of the basics as he continues to develop.
The Knicks can trade into the draft and add young talent to their developing squad. With big paydays most likely coming for Josh Hart and Quickley, the orange and blue would be wise to target one of these three players.
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the NBA season. And in case you missed it, check out the discussion between CP, Alex, and No Ceiling’s Corey Taulaba about the 2023 NBA Draft prospects.
